WLIB: Defining Your Value Proposition

Tissa Richards is a repeat software founder & CEO, TedX and keynote speaker and leadership expert who works with global F500 companies and fast-growing startups. She helps organizations directly connect leadership development to desired outcomes: developing leaders, leadership teams and high potential executives. Tissa guides organizations to create blueprints for individual and organizational success, develop high-performance cultures, and to diversify c-suites and corporate boardrooms. She has helped hundreds of candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds rapidly secure positions on public and private boards, diversifying perspectives and representation in the boardroom. Tissa regularly delivers keynotes and workshops to some of the largest private equity, investment and technology firms in the world. Her book, “No Permission Needed” has won multiple awards and is an Amazon best-seller.

Barbara Troupin is a serial Chief Medical Officer, C-suite/VC advisor, entrepreneur, and public-company independent board director. She currently sits on the Board and is member of the Nomination and Governance Committee for Equillium Bio (NASDAQ:EQ), is an Entrepreneur in Residence at UCSF assisting a founder in developing a gene editing company, and serves as an advisor to venture funds and emerging companies in the therapeutics space. Over her 20+ years as a life science executive, her roles have spanned Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Operations and Strategy functional areas, and she has worked at both private and public biotech or small pharma companies. She has a strong preference for emerging companies where she can have a real impact on corporate strategy and external narrative, decision making processes to drive internal clarity and effectiveness, and in setting a work culture which is engaged, empowered, and inclusive. She helps companies scale in a stage- and resource-appropriate manner focusing on best strategies for value creation. She holds an MD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. She has been a member of the Athena Alliance since 2018 and currently runs their Peer Group in the Life Sciences, was selected for the 2019 Women in Bio Boardroom Ready cohort and participated in Harvard’s executive education for Women on Life Science Boards. She is broadly curious, an avid mentor and connector, and values relationships where mutual learning and growth occurs.